U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-5) met with about 30 people Tuesday for a "Power Lunch" in Boone, painting a picture of federal spending that threatened the nation's way of life.
Foxx described her background growing up in Avery County to parents who didn't have "means or education" and were registered Democrats. "Like many mountain people, they registered the opposite of what they believed," she said.
Foxx said as a child she'd never thought she'd have a chance to run for office, and it was while she was in Watauga County monitoring school-board meetings for the League of Women Voters that she became involved in politics. From serving on the Watauga Board of Education, she went on to be a state senator and is now in her third term in Congress.
Foxx also described her job, which usually keeps her in Washington, D.C., on weekdays.  She has a legislative staff of four people who read all the bills and give her notes. She acknowledged there wasn't enough time to read every bill that went to a vote.
"We pass a lot of junk," she said, such as naming of post offices and making designations or declarations. "I look to the people to give me ideas for legislation."
She said her office also handled citizen's cases regarding federal benefits, passports, visas, and other constituent services. The office also handles federal grants for non-profit organizations. Another part of her job is meeting people of the Fifth District, and she said she spends most of her weekends traveling the mountain counties.
Foxx also spoke of approaching her duties as "a person of faith." "I pray constantly, day and night, for wisdom and discernment," she said. "When we don't win what we're trying to win, is this the best use of my time?"
She said her occasional doubts are swept away when she meets people who are inspired by the United States government and democracy. She enjoys taking people into the Capitol Building and letting them watch floor votes.
She said the most important words outside the Holy Bible were "We the People" in the U.S. Constitution, and said people should be in charge of the government. She said democratic freedom emerged from Judeo-Christian principles in the bible.
Foxx also touched on the national health-care debate, saying it's "taking away our freedom." She said the nation's citizens had to "constantly protect ourselves from within" and pointed to a record $1.4 trillion budget, with mounting spending commitments for Medicare, Social Security and other "unfunded liabilities." Foxx described the recent surge in the gross domestic product as an aberration fueled by the "Cash For Clunkers" program and said this quarter would likely result in a GDP increase of less than 1 percent. If the spending continued, she said, the nation's standard of living would be like that of South American countries within 30 years.
She said federal legislators were primarily concerned with keeping their jobs, so they were unlikely to deny funding for constituent projects. "Well-meaning people in Congress want to respond to requests from everybody in their districts," she said.
She suggested that federal lawmakers were less influenced by the public because they were more difficult to contact than local officials, and thus they became insulated from the effects of their decisions. If spending tax money became the job of state and local officials, she said, then there would be more accountability and transparency.
Foxx said the best way for people to change the current system was "put people in office who have the same philosophy and say to people, 'No, this isn't the function of federal government.'"
She said only a small group of around 30 people consistently voted "no" on tough issues, because the votes will be used by their opponents in campaign ads.
"I'm not saying my colleagues are bad people," she said. "They just don't want to see those ads."
The Monthly Power Lunch was sponsored by Bethel Baptist Church in Vilas. Pastor Charlie Martin said the monthly gatherings were a mix of socializing, networking, and fellowship.